Zucchini Noodles with Butternut Squash and Creamy Garlic Sauce

Zucchini Noodles with Butternut Squash and Creamy Garlic Sauce | The Full Helping

This week, temperatures plummeted for the first time since I’ve lived in DC. In a span of only a few hours, it seemed, we’d gone from swampy heat to the distinctive chill of autumn. Fall is my favorite season, and so I welcome this change , but even I was taken aback by its suddenness. As the seasons shift and transition, it’s time for food that’s both summery and a little warming, and these zucchini noodles with butternut squash and creamy garlic sauce is a perfect compromise.

Autumn is the season of winter squash. I devour pumpkin, acorn, kabocha squash, and butternut squash from September onward, with relish. I’ll eat them in the summer, sure, but for whatever reason they don’t seem to have the same allure when it’s piping hot outside. Now that I feel a little respite from the heat, I’m so excited to welcome squash back into my rotation!

This dish can be prepared with butternut, acorn, dumpling, or kabocha squash, but butternut may be the easiest to find. Sweet potatoes will be a perfect substitute, too. I love the way the cool, slightly crispy zucchini noodles contrast with the sweet, tender, gently caramelized squash. The garlicky cashew cream sauce is a wonderful topping, and it adds just a touch of decadence to the dish.

Zucchini Noodles with Butternut Squash and Creamy Garlic Sauce | The Full Helping

Zucchini Noodles with Butternut Squash and Creamy Garlic Sauce
Recipe Type: side dish, main dish
Cuisine: vega, gluten free, soy free
Author: Gena Hamshaw
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
  • 20 ounces (1 1/4 pound) peeled and cubed butternut squash
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 small zucchini
  • For the sauce:
  • 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained of soak water
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Toss the squash with the oil. Place squash pieces on a lined baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until squash is caramelized and gently browning. Remove squash from heat
  2. Spiralize your 4 zucchini (or use a julienne peeler to peel them into long strips).
  3. Place all sauce ingredients in a high speed blender and blend till they’re smooth.
  4. To serve, divide the zucchini, squash and sauce into four bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
Leftover creamy garlic sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Zucchini Noodles with Butternut Squash and Creamy Garlic Sauce | The Full Helping

This dinner got served with a giant salad of massaged kale and black lentils. The following night, I used up the sauce and butternut squash by making another helping, and I added chickpeas to that bowl. Absolutely delicious.

This is a perfect example of the kind of easy, versatile, and satisfying meal that can be assembled from very few ingredients. You could modify the dish in countless ways by adding different kinds of beans, nuts, seeds (hemp seeds would be fantastic!) or some seared tempeh.

Hope you enjoy the recipe, and I look forward to hearing about how you make it your own!

Till tomorrow,

xo

Images courtesy of Lighter

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Categories: Recipes, Main Dishes
Ingredients: Butternut Squash
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free
Recipe Features: Quick & Easy

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    43 Comments
  1. Soooo yummy…just tried this, even carnivore hubby loved it!!!! Thank you, peace and blessings.

  2. This is SO wonderful because I went so far and almost ending up loosing my life to an eating disorder but it still is my healer thats why I look to people like you who have a balance and not over the top or I’d be back there!
    Thank you so much for your inspiration!

  3. I made this last night for me and my husband. We both thought it was absolutely delicious! I live in New England and love butternut squash in the fall, but have a hard time finding creative ways to use it in a meal. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks!

  4. bravo for addressing such a tough subject. I find this with my nutrition clients often. Being gentle with oneself is so important; thanks for spreading the word!

  5. Thanks for your comments on the inclusive approach to raw food – I struggle with raw food partly because I’ve damaged my digestive system with EDs and often raw foods are too acidic/upsetting for me, and partly because it feels like I’m always “doing it wrong” if I adapt it to fit my needs. This looks like a lovely intuitive balance of what felt right to have raw, and what your body wanted/needed. Inspiring as always.

  6. i do not eat seasonal either, i try to listen to what my body wants and go with it no matter what season it is

    i love making zucchini pasta with cooked veggies! love mixing both worlds together, usually how most of my meals are

  7. Just made this tonight. So good! Felt like a rich meal at a fancy restaurant, yet was super nutritious.

  8. Just wondering what brand of spiralizer everone prefers? I went to get one on Amazon and there were so many to choose from!

    • I have the World Cuisine Tri-Blade model.

      It’s nothing fancy, but it is very affordable and definitely gets the job done! I usually just spiralize zucchini, and it’s perfect for that ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Oh, Gena, this looks fabulous! I can’t wait to recreate this.

    Also love the post from Sarah. It really can be triggering and stifling for vegans who may feel pressure to conform to a 100% raw lifestyle. While it is extremely healthy and beneficial in many ways, it simply doesn’t resonate with many vegans. I really liked Sarah emphasized the importance of cooked foods in a diet (which you have thoughtfully addressed in the past too!).

    It is so important to find what works for you and be OK with it, regardless of opinion…especially with people who have an ED history. I’ve definitely felt this pressure first-hand and it can be really difficult to deal with. But once you get into the routine of practicing eating habits that make you feel like the best version of yourself, you never look back. ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. That looks SO good! I need to do more veggie roasting!

  11. I love the idea of mixing raw and cooked
    the best of both worlds ๐Ÿ™‚
    hope you enjoy the cool temperatures and please keep the delicious fall recipes coming-

    K

  12. Your recipe’s have gotten so creative over the course of you writing this blog, I am so so impressed with you. I really love your cooked/raw combinations. I think how you eats leads nicely into the topic you brought up at the end of the post. People with an e.d past should operate just like you, find out the foods that they love to eat, and that love their bodies and eat those, raw or otherwise. It is about finding what works for you, not about fitting yourself into a perfect little box that was determined by a group of people. It is a lesson in finding your own way amongst the crowd.

  13. This looks fabulous, and I have butternuts ready to use in the garden, yay! ๐Ÿ™‚ And thanks for the article link, can’t wait to check it out.

  14. This looks incredible! I am excited to try this out tomorrow. I have a b nut squash and zucchini calling my name in the fridge!

    Thanks for sharing the article. Such a different perspective and such an interesting read.

  15. Thank you for sharing the link; the article (and comments) made for fascinating eating. It’s spring here now, but happily there are still butternuts hanging around ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. I am SO excited for squash season, though I am enjoying eating high-raw these last few days, despite the cold. This dish is a great mix but I’m especially interested in the creamy garlic sauce. Sounds like it would go really well with a lot of stuff.

  17. I am just coming off of a 40 day juice fast and then going into more of a raw food diet instead of my old S.A.D. diet. I just ordered a spiralizer and I am so looking forrward to trying this dish.

  18. This looks absolutely incredible! I love that it looks super easy and doesn’t have piles of ingredients. Since I’m a dabbler in raw foods (desserts are what I mainly cook) I can’t wait to add more to my repertoire.

  19. Zucchini pasta is one of my favorite things in the world. Possibly tied with butternut squash on my list of favorite things. Now I want to make this.

  20. Great way to mix raw and cooked, and also incorporate seasonal, too. I love putting (leftover) roasted veggies on my salads. The flavor and texture contrasts are always nice.

    And look at you…embracing garlic. Better you than me; I’m just not a fan. It’s actually the lingering part of it that bothers me more… I swear I can taste it more 12 hours later on my own breath than I could at the meal. LOL

  21. I’d love to try this with kabocha squash. I’ve never had it and I heard it’s delightful. A spiralizer is definitely going on my Christmas list.

    Thanks for sharing Sarah’s article. I’m nowhere near a raw eater, and I’m not sure if I want to be, but I’m always interested in reading posts like these to get an idea of what the vegan community is like outside of my bubble.

    • I found kabocha really dry when I roasted it. ๐Ÿ™ But it was killer in soups and stir-fry because it didn’t disintegrate. I don’t know if you can find them but buttercup squash looks much like kabocha (but with squared edges) and has the creamiest, sweetest flesh I’ve ever had. I actually prefer it to butternut, and that’s saying something, but it’s hard to find where I live. Oh squash, I love you.

  22. I was actually about to buy some butternut squash the other day – but had no idea what to do with it so thank you for the inspiration!

    Also thanks for sharing Sarah’s post – I think it’s so important to highlight that even 100% raw and Vegan diets aren’t the be all and end all. I know most raw foodies go through an obsessive phase at first – a honeymoon period of sorts (I definitely did), but it’s vital to get some perspective and acknowledge that a meticulous all or nothing mentality could potentially do far more damage than good. It bothers me that most raw food “gurus” insist on enforcing such strict rules (with no exceptions) within their raw food philosophies because this can evoke fear and a lot of pressure to follow, amongst readers. The same kind of pressure that can drive you to become obsessive about being 100% raw.

    Definitely a topic that needs to be adressed more, thanks again!

  23. Looks like a delicious meal! I was wondering what type of olive oil you recommend for roasting? Is EVOO ok?

  24. That sounds like a great meal, and great that it goes round a couple times too.

    I’m super-busy today but will try to grab a minute to check out Sarah’s post: I’ve probably been in that situation, on one end or the other, many times!

    hope your exam went well?
    love
    Ela

  25. Great meal! So perfect for this weather!

    I had kaboocha squash for the first time tonight and I thought of you! I knew that if you like it then of course, so would I! Yummy!

  26. Gena, I am so flattered you mentioned my post! Thank you so much for sharing your insights here and on my blog! You’re completely right when you point out that it can be challenging to admire the work of physicians, raw foodists, or other health figures and still honor our instincts and personal needs. It’s something I definitely think about working at a dedicated raw vegan retreat center, though most of the time I am grateful for the opportunity to take what sounds and feels right and leave the rest. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in making some of the connections outlined here. I truly appreciate the ways in which you support health on all levels through your blog and through your activism (love the perspectives on vegan activism you shared a little while back, by the way!). Thank you again, Gena! You made my morning!

  27. Yummmy! Looks great! I just made your lemon cashew hemp bars, and my husband and kids loved them! Which is high praise because my husband really dislikes Larabars in general (I agreed that yours were much better). What other flavor combos have you found to work well? Also, how are you liking ochem? Take care!!

  28. I look forward to reading Sarah’s article-raw foodism and disordered eating can become very enmeshed if one is not careful, and as you know I have not been careful with that in the past. It is a topic that needs more discussion!

    Also-are those beets in the salad? I see purple things but I can’t figure out what they are…

  29. Have a bnut squash and some last of the season zucchini in the fridge…and I think I know what I’m making for dinner! I love meals inspired by in-season veggies! ๐Ÿ™‚